Lock



May 13, 1952 N. A. WELCH E1- AL 2,596,949

LOCK

Filed Sept. 14, 1945 2 SHEETS-SHEET l ATTORNEY.

May 13, 1952 N. A. WELCH ETAL 2,596,949

LOCK

Filed Sept. 14, 1945 2 SHEETS-SHEET I2 Patented May 13, 1952 LOCK Nicholas A. Welch, West Hartford, and William J. Zeigenhein, New Britain, Conn., assignors to The American Hardware Corporation, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application September 14, 1945, Serial No. 616,354

Our invention relates to a lock particularly adapted for use on interior doors.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved lock which is adaptable to doors in a wide range of thicknesses.

It isV another object to provide a lock which may be applied to a door with a minimum of mutilation or weakening of the door.

Another object is to provide a lock in which a substantial part of the mechanism is positioned exteriorly of the door surface.

Still another object is to provide a lock in which the knobs will remain substantially free and be non-binding regardless of slight inaccuracies due to faulty installation.

Still another object is to provide a lock with no'direct material connection between the knobs.

Another object is to provide an improved latch or lock dogging means. Y l

It is anotherobject to provide improved dog means in a device of the character indicated arranged to be thrown to inoperative position when the latch is moved to retracting position.

Still another object is to provide improved dogging means readily Vset so that the latch may be dogged from either side of the door.

Another object is to provide a roll-back of improved form so as to avoid binding of a slide.

Other objects and various features of novelty of invention `will be hereinafter pointed out or will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings which show, for illustrative purposes only, a preferred form of theinvention:

Fig. 1 is. a horizontal section through a lock illustrative of the invention and showing parts in operative position relatively to a door and door jamb.

Fig. 2. is.. a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

,v Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the latch in retracted position, the dogging means having been moved to inoperative position.

Fig. 5r is a fragmentary view in section illustrating how a cylinder or other lock may be employed at the outside of the door.

My improved lock is intended to be applied lto a door 5 and a substantial part of the mechanism isV on the outside of the door. The only necessarymutilation of the door is a shallow notch. cut therein back to about the point 6. A single hole 1 maybe bored through the door for receiving a clamp screw as will be later -described-wifi.' f

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-222) The lock in the preferred form includes a pair of casings 8 9 which t against opposite-sides of the door and these casings carry latch slide mechanisms and outer and inner knobs III-II. A latch-front I2 extends across the front of the door and is adjustable, for example, by being telescopically related to one or both of the casings 8 9. In the form illustrated, the latch front I2 is secured to the case 8 as by means of screws I3. The opposite side I4 of the latch front I2 is slidable relatively to the casing 9 and to the escutcheon or trim plate, as will be clear from Figs. l and 4. Inorder to secure the lock to the door (after the latter hasfbeen notched back to about the line 6)- We preferably connect the casing 9 to the front l2. The latch front may have a-pair of lugs I5 which may be threaded toi receive securing screws I6, the heads of which may be countersunk in thecasing 9, as willbevseen inFg. 1. When the lock is applied to a thick door the front I2 may be related to the inside latch case 9 about as shown in Fig. 1. WhenA the lock is applied to a thinner door, the sideN M vof the latch front I2 will be telescoped relatively to the case 9 so that both cases 8 9 may rmlyabut the door and be held or clamped inplace by the screws I6. A clamp screw II may have its head seated in a counterbore in the case 9 and extend throughl the hole 1 in the door; screw I'I may bethreaded into a boss I8 on the inside ofthe outer escutcheon or trimv plate I9. The boss I8 may extend through a hole in the case 84 and may abut the cover cap of the case 8. Thus, when the screws I-6 and I'I are drawn up tightly, the lock as a whole will be rmly secured to the door. Furthermore, the screws I6 and I'I can be reached only from the inside of the door (when lock is applied as shown). As will be later described, the inner trim plate 20 may be loosened and swung around the knob so as to afford access to the'screws I8 and I 'I.

The cases 8 and 9 are substantially identical except that the case 9 is longer than the case V8. Each case consists of acup-shaped or flangedplate member and may be closed by cover cap 2l.

Within each latch case is a slide 22, which may be or cross bars 21 of the slides rest on roll-back disks 28 and are slidably guided between those as will be clear. When the inner knob bushing ring 33 is backed off, the inner trim plate 20 may be moved outwardly relative to its knob shank and then swung about the knob shank 3U to give access to the heads of screws Iii-'11. The rollback disks 28 carry roll-backs 34,riveted or otherwise secured thereto in positionl to engage the cross bars or rear ends of the slides 22 for retracting the slides by means of the knobs as will be clear. The operative portions 35 of the rollbacks are preferably of involute form so that during slide retractionthe roll-backs move along the slide bars 2 1 'with a maximum of rolling motionuafnda minimum of sliding motion so as toravoid cramping or cooking of the slides.

The latch 36 is illustrated as of theswinging typepivoted on aplatch p in 31 held in lugs on the latch front and urged into outward or latch ing position by means of a coil spring 3% engaging the latch 36A and one of the lugs, as is common, practice. The latch has a latch tail 39 carried by a latch tail pin 49. The latch tail 39 extendsrearwardly and is provided with a transversek abutmentarm 4| to be engagedby latch slide arms 42 (carried by the outside latch slide) and 43 (carried by the inside latch slide). It maybe here stated that the slide casing caps 2|2| are provided Awith openings for the free passage and operation of the latch slide operating armsl 42 -43 Thus, when either knob is rotated one of the retracting arms will serve to retract the latch and, of course, when the door is slammed the latch will be retracted by its engagement with the strike plate, as is usual.

In order to dog the latch from the inside so as to prevent latch actuation by the outside knob, we have provided means such as a knob or thumb piece which is actuable from the inside of the door, and the dogging means may be provided with means for emergency actuation from the outside and, in fact,- may be provided with a cylinder or other lock so that the clogging means may be moved to clogging position and locked in that position from the outside of the door. However, for ordinary use on a bathroom or chamber door theV clogging means will be actu-V able only from the inside of the door except for emergency actuation from the outside of the door.

In the form illustrated, the cases 8-9 are provided with rotatable hubs or bushings 45--46 which extend inwardly between the lock casings, and a dogging means including a sleeve 41 is slidably mounted on the two hub ends. The hub ends are preferably angular in section as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, andA the sleeve 41 is of similar internal section so that the sleeve may be slid along the hubs and may at all times be eiectively locked against rotation relatively thereto. The sleeve 41 carries a clogging member or members 48,. so positioned that when moved to proper position said member or members may dog either the inside or the outside slide depending upon the use and position of the lock as a whole. In I the position illustrated in F'ig. 1, the sleeve 41 is moved to its operative position in the direction of the outside latch slide and is secured in that position as by means of a screw 49 threaded into the end of the bushing 45. The bushing 46 has a corresponding threaded opening for receiving another screw 55 carried by the slide 41 so that when desired the sleeve 41 'may be slid along and screwed directly to the hub 46.

A clogging knob or thumb piece 5| may have an angular extension 52 which may fit into the angular bore 53 of either of the hubs 45-46 whereby the latter may be turned by the dogging knob or thumb piece. In the form illustrated the clogging knob extension 52 is split so as to be resilient and a shouldered end 53 may slip behind the bottom end of a slot or cut 01T por-v tion of the hub extension 45 or 46 as will be clear from Fig. 1. Thus, Lwhen the thumb piece 5| is turned to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the dogging member 48 is moved into an angular notch 54 in the `slide l22- so that the slide cannot be retracted bythe outside knob i9. .Ii .the sleeve 41y carrying dog lug 48 is rotated clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 the dog lug4B is moved out of the notch 54 and the latch `33 may bev freely retracted by the outside knob |0 and at all times by the inside knob .v y

When the sleeve41 `ismoved to its other operative position close to the inside case 9 and secured in that position byineans of the sc rew -56, the inside knob willbe dogged by the dogging lug 48 or a similar lug properly positioned for engagement within an angular notch 55 of `the inside slide 2| as will be clear` from Fig. 3. The sleeve 41 may be resiliently held in either of its two operative positions as by means of a plate spring 56' which engages flats on the sleeve 41 as will be clear from the drawings. 1 Y

Means have been provided for moving the dogging mechanism to inoperative position when lthe latch is retracted as by slamming of the door. Thus, it will be impossible for a person to lock himself out even though the clogging means. may have been moved to clogging position/when the door is open. Such a safety means may consist of an arm or platel 51` carried by the sleeve 41 and in position to be engaged by the rear end 58 of the latch 35.` Thus, when the latchv is retracted as by slamming the door, the arm or plate 51'will be moved clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 and counter-clockwise as'viewed in Fig. 3 so as to retract the dogging member 48 orthe equivalent dogging member for the opposite slide.

The improved lock as described may be readily applied to either right or left hand doors by merely swinging the entire assembly aboutfthe knob as axis; that is to say, o'n both right and left hand doors the outside ofv the 4dooi-is the same and the inside of the door is the same. For a reverse-bevel door the entire lock assent-v bly is turned over so that what is now theri'nside knob will becomethe outside knob, and the sleeve 41 willbe shifted 'and the doggi'ng knob 5| engaged with the vhub 45 -iiisteado with the hub 46. l

It will be obvious that cases f keri'iergezicy a square tool could beginseted inthe hub 45 or 46 from the outside 'of thevdo'o'r'so as to'throw the latch dcgging mechanism into inoperative position to permit entry into the room. In cases where it is desirable to lock a "door from the out; side, we may employ a cylinder lock as shown in Fig. 5. In that slight modcatin the outside trim plate would be modified so as to carry a cylinder lock 60. The key operated plug of the lock mayhave a loose extension 6| to t the angular bore in the hub 45. This extension 6l may be'resiliently secured tothe plug ofthe cylinder lock by means of a spring or lost-motion connection 62 of well-known construction. Thus, if the outside slide is dogged by the cylinder lock while the door is open, the dogging means could still be thrown off automatically .by the slamming of the door. ,Y Y

In the preferred form illustrated the latch front l2 vis flush with the outside of the door as shown in Fig. 1 and is ilush with the front edge of the door. The inside trim plate 2U overlaps the front edge of the door slightly and the edge lll of the latch front telescopes between the inturned flange on the trim plate and the corresponding flange on the case 9. The strike on the door jamb may be of more or less usual form but may .be set back so as to clear the front edge of the trim plate 20.

It will be seen that we have provided an exceedingly simple lock which may be applied to doors of various thicknesses. The door is mutilated to the minimum extent and' there is no through spindle to contribute to the sticking of knobs in case of slight inaccuracies during installation. The lock is adaptable to right-hand, left-hand, and reverse-bevel doors. The latching member may be securely dogged from the inside and may be undogged in emergency from the outside. The dogging means is thrown to inoperative position by the slamming of the door.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail and a preferred form illustrated, it is to be understood that many changes and modications may be made within the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a lock, casing means to embrace opposite sides of a door, latch-actuating means including independent slides carried by said said casing means and arranged for actuating a latch, a pair of opposed spaced-apart axially aligned rotatable hubs carried by said casing means and facing in the direction of spanning the space between opposite sides of the door, dogging means carried at all times by said spaced apart hubs and having a length exceeding the span between said hubs but less than the thickness of the door, said dogging means being keyed to and adapted to slide on both said hubs when otherwise unsecured, means for selectively securing said dogging means in one axially adjusted position and for selectively securing said dogging means in another axially adjusted position along the alignment axis of said hubs, said dogging means including a dogging member in position to dog one of said slides when said dogging means is secured in said one position and in position to dog the other of said slides when said dogging means is secured in said other position.

2. In a latch, latch-casing means to be secured to opposite sides of a door, a latch, latch-actuating means including independent slides carried on opposite sides of said casing means so as to be mounted on opposite sides of the door and arranged for actuation of said latch, axially aligned dog-actuating means on opposite sides of said case means, dogging means keyed at all times to both said dog-actuating means and adapted to be selectably positioned along the alignment axis of said dog-actuating means, whereby when otherwise unsecured said dogging means may be moved transversely of the door carrying said latch, said 6 dogging means including means for dogging one of said slides when said dogging means is in one selected position along said axis andfor dogging the other of said slides when said dogging means is in another selected position along said axis, externally accessible rotatable manual means on one side of the door and engaged to one of said dog-actuating members so as to rotate said dogging means into dogging position, and cooperative means between a part of said dogging means and a part of said latch for rotating said dogging means tovinoperative position upon retraction of said latch, said cooperating means being effective whatever the selected position of said dogging means on said axis, whereby the particular latch mechanism dogged by said dogging means may assuredly be thrown off upon a retraction of said latch, as when the door is closed.

3. In a lock, a pair of latch cases to be secured at opposite sides of a door, a latch associated with said latch cases, independent latch slides carried by said latch cases and having means cooperating with a part of said latch for retracting said latch, independent knobs for actuating said latch slides, a pair of rotatable hubs carried by said latch cases at opposite sides of the door and projecting inwardly axial alignment with each other, the inwardly projecting parts of said hubs being of substantially uniform cross-section, a dogging member having guiding means of cross-section to match the said uniform cross-sections of said hub projections, said dogging member being of a length intermediate the space between said hub projections and the total included span of the constant-cross-section parts of said hub projections when mounted on a door, whereby when otherwise unsecured said dogging member may be moved from one position to a second position along the projecting parts of said hubs, said dogging member being non-rotatably held on both said hubs, said dogging member including a part engageable with one of said latch slides to the exclusion of the other of said latch slides in one selected position of said dogging member along said hubs, and engageable with the other of said latch slides to the exclusion of said one latch slide when in another selected position along said hubs, means actuable fromone side of the door carrying said latch for rotating said dogging member for dogging one of said latch slides depending upon the position of said dogging member along said hubs, and means carried by said dogging member and cooperable with said latch so as to rotate said dogging member to inoperative position when said latch is retracted.

4. In a locking device of the character indicated, two latch-actuating assemblies to be mounted on opposite sides of a door, a latch including means to be actuated by both said latchactuating means when assembled on the door, each of said assemblies including axially aligned rotatable dog-supporting means, and dogging means keyed to and at all times supported by both said dog-supporting means, said dogging means being adapted to be selectably positioned along the axis of said dog-supporting means, said dogging means being operable in one axially selected position thereof for selective dogging of one of said latch-actuating means to the exclusion of the other of said latch-actuating means, said dogging means being further operable in another axially selected position thereof for selective dogging of the other of said latch-actuating means to the exclusion of said one of said latch-actuating means, whereby for a variety of door thicknesses to which Sa'd laten-'actuating' means may be applied, and Whatever the hand of the door, said 'clogging means may at all times `be selectably postonable for correct selective 'clogging engage'- ment with one or with the other of Said lat'chactuating means.

NICHOLAS A. WELCH.

WILLIAM J. ZEIGENHEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following efe'ehces are 0I recOzd in the le f this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

